Kitzbühel, Tyrol, Austria
I am a Creative Director, Design Director, Studio Head and Executive Producer with more than 25 years of experience in the games industry. Having worked in various roles, on all levels, I am intimately familiar with the process of making games and pride myself in being versatile. As a leader I fundamentally believe in a people centred approach to making games. I relish building high performance teams and utilize a "servant leadership" approach to achieve this. Leading by vision and intent, rather than command & control, the teams I build achieve high levels of autonomy and develop a healthy culture. As a creative director and designer, my work is driven by building strong, coherent player fantasies — experiences that give players a clear sense of identity, purpose, and mastery, and then support that fantasy consistently across mechanics, systems, and moment-to-moment play. Aligned with this is my passion for player motivation and high quality user experience.
Varg is the result of combining my passions and the experiences I have gained. In particularly I am drawing on my work with Indie Studios as a Chief Creative Officer with Modern Wolf and as Creative Vision holder and leader at various AAA Studios. I am applying my experience and skills to help teams and their games achieve their full potential. With Varg I offer a variety of services from Game Design, Audience and Competitor research, Pitching work to Leadership training. For more long term engagements, I can take on the role of Creative Director, Game Director or Executive Producer for your project. https://www.varg-consulting.com/
As Design Director, I lead the design vision for Shardfall, the launch title of Quell's pioneering fitness gaming platform. I was responsible for all design decisions during its live service phase, utilizing player data and and feedback to create the best gameplay and fitness experience for the audience. In addition I was responsible for the vision and direction of the second platform title. My role extended beyond design; I managed and mentored a team of designers, fostering their growth and ensuring design excellence. As one of the studios director, I also collaborated in guiding the company's strategic direction and resolving key operational challenges.
As Creative Director at Splash Damage, I led the creation of a ground-breaking new IP—an open-world, multiplayer action game set in a Sci-Fi universe. Working closely with the Development Director, I guided a team of 15 people through the concept and pre-production phases, focusing on innovative gameplay, a compelling meta-game, and the overall thematic consistency of our Sci-Fi setting. I defined key differentiating features that set our game apart in a competitive landscape and reported directly to the studio's executive team, to ensure that our strategic vision aligned with the company's goals and pushed the boundaries of the Open World genre. As a team leader I mentored and coached the design team, fostering personal development, autonomy and candid and open discussion particularly needed during early conception of a new IP, to ensure a diversity of insights.
Initially co-founded Modern Wolf, a new and developer focused indie publishing label. Acted as Studio Head for Flying Wild Hog Krakow from August 2020 and during the sale of FWH to the Embracer group. Helped to transition the team and advise studio leadership through that time and post transaction. Helped to launch Space Punks into open beta.
Creatively headed up a 70+ team working with Wargaming on a multiplayer F2P/Live Service Game in the World of Tanks Franchise. Worked on internal game concepts and pitched to potential publishing partners.